impalpable

[ im-pal-puh-buhl ]

adjective

1. not palpable; incapable of being perceived by the sense of touch; intangible.
2. difficult for the mind to grasp readily or easily:

   impalpable distinctions.

3. (of powder) so fine that when rubbed between the fingers no grit is felt.

impalpable

/ ɪmˈpælpəbəl /

adjective

1. imperceptible, esp to the touch

   impalpable shadows

2. difficult to understand; abstruse

Derived Forms

• imˌpalpaˈbility, noun
• imˈpalpably, adverb

Other Words From

• im·palpa·bili·ty noun
• im·palpa·bly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of impalpable¹

First recorded in 1500–10; im- ² + palpable

Example Sentences

A sense conundrum: blue as Summer sky Yet hazy, thin, impalpable, a clair- Obscur of dreamy stuff some latter-day Tech-savvy alchemist might think to brew Or strange sea-beast secrete within its shell.

From Scientific American

Through their lenses, we see different visions of the artist in his studio, surrounded by his attempts to capture something solid but impalpable about humanity.

From Seattle Times

“A new method of disposing of sewage, by making it into cement, has been successfully tested at Ealing, west of London. The principle consists in mixing, with the sewage, quantities of lime and clay, combining with the carbonic acid of the fecal matters to form carbonate of lime, in an impalpable powder. The lime and clay destroy the slimy glutinous character of the sewage ‘sludge’ and keep the sewer outlet drain free from the festering and putrefying deposit which otherwise tends to choke it.

From Scientific American

But how the squishy, pinkish-gray, wrinkled mass of the physical brain gives rise to these impalpable experiences remains a mystery.

From Scientific American

As he swept his long arms, as though brushing aside some impalpable obstacle, the wolves fell back and back further still.

From Literature